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Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Donald Washington’s show during the final day of the NFL Combine was stunning, at least to everyone but him. He called it.

As he stood in the entryway to Ohio State’s Younkin Success Center back on a cold January day and unceremoniously announced his decision to forgo his senior season in favor of applying for the draft, the cornerback said he knew he was taking a big leap. But he said the cloud of doubt would disappear once he got the chance to show scouts what he was all about as an athlete.

Talk about a clear-blue sky today, his 45-inch vertical leap was astounding on Tuesday, by far the best of all 300 or so players who took part in the combine in Indianapolis. And his standing broad jump of 11 feet, 3 inches was equally impressive — anything over 10-6 is considered extraordinary.

For a defensive back especially, such numbers scream “Look at me.” That’s because their world is full of sudden starts, stops, change of direction and unanticipated leaps.

What’s too bad is these numbers from Washington might not have been such a surprise had he not gone on double-secret probation from the OSU football team last spring. There was talk that he was going to try to compete with the OSU track and field team, and that the running long jump was one event he had in mind. He had been a standout in track and field in high school at Franklin Central just outside Indianapolis. And when his OSU football teammates were asked who the best overall athlete on the team was, his named always came up first.

Now the secret is out. He will zoom up the draft charts because NFL defensive coaches love explosion.